Is Wednesday a "must win" game in Indy?

ASK IRA:

March 25, 2014|By Ira Winderman, SunSentinel.com

A: What they've "designated" is finding a way to make it work with Wade, Bosh and LeBron, and so far that has meant three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals and back-to-back championships. The irony is that when Bosh is featured more often, as he is when Wade is out, it opens eyes to how he still can flourish as a stand-alone talent, which is why there will be an aggressive market if he opts into free agency in the offseason. At times, you have to wonder if that wouldn't be tempting to Chris, after four years as something of a third wheel. Of course, there also are times like Tuesday, when he disappears into a Big Three vortex.

Q: Should Erik Spoelstra have left Birdman late in the fourth quarter versus Houston? Bosh was having a horrible game. -- Richard.

A: But the Heat needed offense, as much as defense, in the comeback, especially with LeBron struggling through the second half. Chris Andersen was huge on the defensive end, with his five blocks matching the most in a game by a Heat player this season. He did his part. But yes, even a little bit more Bosh and it might have swung in the other direction.

March 5, 2014

Q: So basically, because LeBron James wanted to get 60 against the Bobcats while up 20 in the fourth quarter, the Heat lost Tuesday. He could have rested the whole fourth quarter Monday and not been gassed Tuesday. However much you want to say he had to take the opportunity to make history, it was selfish basketball and not in the best interest of the team. LeBron prides himself in being a team player. Erik Spoelstra, too, got caught up in it, not thinking about tomorrow. -- Moshe.

A: I know it might come off as trite, but the NBA season can become such grind that if you can create something special, something personally meaningful, it makes the monotony more tolerable. Look, if this was a team in a desperate playoff push, perhaps where the Grizzlies stand in the Western Conference, then it would be another story. But this is a team that gets more than its share of victories and deserves a moment or two, as well. Did LeBron's fatigue play a factor Tuesday? Sure. But what about Chris Bosh, who hardly had to go into overdrive on Monday night? Or Mario Chalmers? Or Shane Battier? Heck, if LeBron's 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter wasn't overruled by replay, they might still be playing in Houston.

Q: Why did Greg Oden play Monday night when they could have used him more Tuesday? -- Jeffrey.

A: That's a good question. Erik Spoelstra made it sound as simple as the Bobcats game came first, so that's why Oden was used in that half of the back-to-back set. But with Dwight Howard's foul shooting, even though he went 6 of 8 Tuesday, there at least would have been more fouls to go around in the power rotation. Yes, Al Jefferson was a load on Monday night, but it's not as it Oden was the only victim. The good thing with the upcoming days off is that Oden should see action against both Tim Duncan and Joakim Noah.

Q: Why do you insist on glossing over games such as Tuesday's for Chris Bosh? -- Ed.

A: Because sometimes it's difficult to come up with meaningful answers. It's as if Chris checks out for a few games each season. The difference is he also shows up to play every night.

A: OK, let's be candid here, show of hands: Who had an expectation of anything special on the first Monday of March against the Bobcats? And then, when it was announced Dwyane Wade would be sitting out as part of his knee maintenance program, could anyone possibly have envisioned this as a seminal moment? And yet, with this team, with this roster, any moment, any game can become special. Heck, Chris Andersen made a 3-pointer, and Mario Chalmers' wraparound dribble for a 3-point assist might have been one of the most artistic plays by the Heat all season. And that's the thing, this team knows how to make moments, no player more so than LeBron James. This was captivating, theater of the highest quality. Twenty five points in the third quarter. Thirty seven points in the second half. It was breathtaking. And then to hear LeBron talk about how much it meant to do it with this roster, with these players? He certainly seemed to be very at home in this moment.

Q: Wade is resting up for the "Show Me Don't Tweet Me" game. I hope James Harden is ready. -- John.

A: It is ironic that it took so long after those preseason "Top 10 Player" rankings, the ones that so rankled Harden's former Oklahoma City teammate Kevin Durant, for the Heat and Rockets (and Wade and Harden) to meet for the first of their two regular-season meetings. Now, with Wade given Monday off as part of his knee maintenance program, both Harden and Wade will have been idle since Saturday games. Of course, for Wade it will come after a late-night flight.

Q: Why start Toney Douglas when Udonis Haslem and Rashard Lewis can't even get on the floor? -- Steve.